Bobby Knight may never forgive Indiana University

Indiana coach Bobby Knight, left, playfully puts star guard A.J. Guyton in a head lock on the sidelines during the closing minutes of the opening game of the Indiana Classic in Indianapolis Sunday, Dec. 27, 1998.(Photo: AP Photo)

Indiana's 2014 hall of fame class was announced Sept. 10, bringing to life once more a tired debate that still apparently draws breath.

For those who might have missed it, former Hoosier men's basketball star AJ Guyton was included among this year's honorees.

Guyton posted an open letter on Facebook after his selection Friday, addressing it to former IU coach Bob Knight:

"What's missing is the man who personifies Indiana basketball. The man who's the bridge between the past & the present. The negative feeling I had was knowing he wouldn't be a part of this celebration. I realized at that moment how much his approval meant to me, mainly because he's the sole reason I'm considered for this honor."

That was the general gist of Guyton's message, which ultimately invited Knight to return to IU for his former player's hall-of-fame induction.

"I'm asking you Coach Bob Knight," Guyton wrote at the end of his letter. "You said you'd do anything for me once I graduated, can you please attend my induction ceremony, which is coming back home to Indiana University?"

This used to be a Pandora's box for Indiana. How could you properly honor your past if the long shadow of its architect still crept over your every attempt at doing so?

Quite simply, that is no longer a concern.

There always will be segments of Indiana's fanbase moved by their loyalty for Knight. Former players such as Guyton will — and should — continue to try and engage him.

But for Indiana as a program and a department, there remains no need to reconstruct its relationship with its legendary former coach.

IU has tried. It inducted Knight into its hall of fame in 2009. He declined to attend, citing a desire not to invite a media circus. It honored his 1987 national championship team in 2011, reaching out through members of that team. Once again, Knight declined.

Knight has been in Bloomington, Ind., both for public and private events since his acrimonious ouster in 2000. He signed copies of his book, "The Power of Negative Thinking," at a local Walmart. About 900 fans showed up and the store hung copies of some of IU's championship banners from its ceiling.

A return to the campus that would have been a 10-minute drive northeast never was on the schedule.

Fourteen years after his departure, Knight's legacy still is unquestioned. His place as one of college basketball's best and most successful coaches is cemented forever.

But the idea Indiana is somehow less than whole without Knight's forgiveness — that the men's basketball program or the department still requires some sort of blessing — is a weary one, without much merit.

Guyton's letter surely has good intentions, or had. It appears he might have removed it from his Facebook page.

For his former program, it only raised questions that are tired and played out. Knight and Indiana might never reunite. The wound that left closed up long ago.